The Effect of English Premier League Matches Shown on DSTV Channels on Nigerian Youths

The Effect of English Premier League Matches Shown on DSTV Channels on Nigerian Youths

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Abstract

The main aim of this research work was to examine the effect of English premiership matches on youths (a case study of Nasarawa state university undergraduate). The researcher used a descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate and a total population of 133 was selected out of 500 youths through the use of Taro Yamani formula to arrive at the sample population and the instrument used for data collection was a structured guided questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed statistically.

Based on the findings of this study, Nigerian youths have abandoned local football in the country in favour of European football. Their passion, dedication, and commitment are to foreign football clubs. Again, Nigerian youths are regular internet surfers and have embraced the values of technology like technology companionship, technology determinism, and global citizenship.

The researcher however recommends that Youth football should be revived in Nigeria. Grassroots football should be re-introduced at primary and secondary school levels to discover raw talents for future greatness, while adequate arrangements should be made for marketing and sponsorship programmes, facilitating league matches being relayed on television to cultivate the interest of the youths and all Nigerians. The government should create policies to moderate youths’ exposure to internet materials. If left to the mercy of the internet, Nigerian youths would be overwhelmed by those values that would continuously undermine Nigerian citizenship values.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Over the years and most especially right from the coming of DSTV, Nigerian youths have formed part of the global followers of the British premier league matches the national media’s specialty in covering and broadcasting the league has been unprecedented. The passion, zeal, accuracy, and dexterity with which presenters of football matches broadcast and run commentary of the premiership and other leagues in Nigeria increases viewers’ love and interest in the game of football. Also developed in viewers is the interest to identify with a club side as a fan/supporter. The followership could be compared to that experienced with the Nigerian local football league in the 1970 and mid 80s, which has since been reduced drastically because of poor organization. Apart from the national media, another medium providing Nigerians with the avenue to view live coverage of these matches is the pay-per-view centers, scattered all across the nation’s cities.

These viewing centers, specializing in providing pay-per-view services of European football matches, have increased tremendously since the beginning of the 21st century when more cable television networks entered into the business with fairly affordable subscription rates. Audiences viewing games, plus fanatic support for particular clubs, have increased. An average Nigerian youth and adult (male and female) are happy to identify as a fan of a chosen club side in the British premier league. Visits at these viewing centers will find fans displaying knowledge of clubs’ history and players’ profiles, as well as mini-fans clubs (non-formalized clubs).

All members are known and are identified as “our man’ and “our club” showing their unflinching support and love for their chosen clubThe dexterity with which Nigerian youths have in support and love for the premier league matches constitute the fundamental basis for this research. The league had in recent times fosters a common front in enhancing cultural and ethnic integration, peace, unity, love, and harmony. As Giulianotti and Robertson (2004) argue, sport, in particular, football has been the world’s most popular leisure pursuit, at least since the late 19th century.

Nowadays, it is one of the most dynamic and sociologically educational domains of globalization (Ibid). Transnational football broadcasting is the main instrument of football globalization (Akindes, 2011). The transnational football media corporations engage in the globalization and commodification of football worldwide. They provide the business infrastructure for the global flow of football games and increase the number of specialist televised football channels (Giulianotti& Robertson, 2007b) for example, the super sports channel of Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) in Africa. As Giulianotti& Robertson (2004) argued, the fundamental aim here is to reach the local audiences for trade. They reach these local audiences through top-to-bottom hierarchical chains ranging from the global producer, continental distributor, national broadcasters and finally what Onwumechili and Akindes (2014) call ‘‘the local electronic stadium’’ – in my study, the DSTV houses, which are small local businesses with satellite television.

The Effect of English Premier League Matches Shown on DSTV Channels on Nigerian Youths

European football is the most transnationally televised game, which reaches worldwide audiences. Specifically, the most popular European leagues, mainly the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, and the Italian Series A, are imported into several places of the world (Akindes, 2011). Therefore, it could be argued that European football, especially the English Premier League, can be described as having mainly economic and cultural imperialistic ambitions and desires to impose itself on various geographic areas (Sondaal, 2013). However, through processes of glocalization, the interdependence of local and global processes within the game’s identities and institutions can be highlighted (Giulianotti& Robertson, 2004; Andrews &Ritzer, 2007). Transnational televised football is generating a new form of fandom in sub-Saharan Africa.

Many young football fans watch the televised European football matches in ‘‘trans-local electronic stadiums’’ such as football bars, restaurants, and kiosks (Akindes, 2011). Transnational football broadcasting has created new business opportunities in many African cities, therefore bars and video theatres are the main places of localization of a match played in Europe (Ibid). In Ethiopia, the newly emerged football fans watch European televised football, mainly the English Premier League, in the places locally known as DSTV houses.

The DSTV houses are local, small business centers, which air the European televised football matches to local audiences that range in age from 8 to 40 years old by subscribing to the South African-based DSTV satellite with pay-tv services. Children who are in the age range of 8 to 18 years old make up a significant number of the DSTV houses’ audiences. These child audiences are new and created by transnational football media, for example, DSTV. In Giulianotti and Robertson’s (2004) terms, they are de-territorialized football communities of “self-invented virtual Diasporas.

However, there is the social negative effect such as conflict, youth fraternity, and anti-social behaviors. And in recent times many youths have been found spending more time in betting houses than on their studies. In 2006 and 2007, the effects of the English premiership on Nigerians (youths and adults alike) took a new dimension when fans began to label streets after particular football clubs in the English premiership. There was a conflict in parts of Lagos and Ibadan, and other parts of the country, which in some cases led to violence and killings between supporters of different clubs. Is ethnic identity growing from this? On the surface, it seems that the characteristics of ethnicity are observably on the rise.

Even though Nigeria has a thriving football league (the Nigerian Premier League, NPL) with 20 full-fledged teams, a growing number of its citizens are devoted fans of teams and players in European leagues and championships. This upsurge of new interest in televised spectating of foreign matches, this preoccupation has become a major talking point in the country, as can be seen in both academic writings (see Akindes, 2011; Majaro-Majesty, 2011; Omobowale, 2009; Adetunji, 2013; Onwumechili&Oloruntola, 2014, for example) and the popular press (Okeke, 2009; Olonilua, 2012; Famutimi, 2013).

These two broad categories of publications in some respects. While the academic works have sought to analytically examine the origins, practices, and attitudes of this particular fan phenomenon, the newspapers, and magazines tend to be more alarmist though reflective, in ways that visualize these fans as estranged local supporters of the poor-performing Nigerian football management (Amiesimaka, 2012 for example). However, most of these studies are aspatial in nature despite the fact that electronic fandom as a phenomenon is essentially space-orientedness (see Eastman & Land, 1997; Dixon, 2014).

The Effect of English Premier League Matches Shown on DSTV Channels on Nigerian Youths

Another identifiable lacuna in the emerging Nigerian scholarship on the subject is the predominant insular outlook of many of the works that seem to divorce the everyday practices of the fans from the wider socio-economic environment of consumption and marketing, dominated by product retailers (clothes, souvenirs, beer, etc.), gambling outfits, and fundraisers of all sorts. With this picture, one may conclude that football is an instigator in causing conflict and the same time integrating people – a strong point or element in peace and community building. The research, therefore, intends to provide an assessment on the effect of  English premier league matches on  Nigerian youths with a case appraisal on Nassarawa state university undergraduates.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Since the invention of the English Premier League, most of our Nigerian youths have lacked interest and concentration in their daily activities, especially during the premier league season. This lack of concentration has led to a negative outcome and results among our youths ranging from education, businesses, church activities, and every other work of life.

Most youths have lost their jobs due to high concentration in the league. It is a known fact that 80% of students failure in examinations especially at the secondary school level and university level as a result of the high concentration of students viewing matches on television    The problem confronting the research is to proffer an assessment on the effects of English Premier League showing on Dstv on Nigerian youths with a case study of Nassarawa state university undergraduate.

1.3    RESEARCH   QUESTIONS

 1   What is the nature of English premier league?

  2  What is the effect of English premier league matches on Nigerian Youths?

 3  What is the effect of English premier league matches on Nassarawa state university undergraduates?

1.4      OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH

1         To determine the nature of English premier league

2         To appraise the effect of English  premier

3         To determine the effect of the league on Nassarawastate university undergraduates.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

The research intends to determine the effect of English premier league and to assess its effect on Nassarawa state university undergraduates

It shall also serve as a veritable source of information concerning sports and social effects.

1.6 STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS

H₀:The level of Nassarawa state university undergraduates watching premier league is low

H₁: The level of Nassarawa state university undergraduates watching premier league is high

H₀:The   positive effect of English premier league on Nassarawa state university undergraduates is low

H₁:The   positive   effect of English premier league on Nassarawa state university undergraduates is high

H₀:The negative effect of English premier league on Nassarawa state university undergraduates is low

H₁: The negative effect of English premier league on Nassarawa state university undergraduates is high

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research shall proffer an assessment of the effect of English premier league matches on Nigerian youths, with a case appraisal of the effect on nassarawa state university undergraduates.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

SPORTS

Wuest and Bucher (1999) define sport as recreation, as a socially acceptable and non-profit-oriented activity performed during leisure hours that provides immediate and inherent satisfaction to participants.

RECREATION

 Mull, Bayless, Ross, and Jamieson (1997) see recreation as a means, through which people are educated on how to lead a positive live in their leisure hours.

LEISURE 

Leisure is taken as a period when an individual is not engaged in any activity to earn a living. Derived from this then, sport is not just leisure; it is also employable for other uses

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized into five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concerned with the introduction, which consists of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope, and limitation of the study, the definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals with the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives a summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study